Maine man accused of sexually abusing 6-year-old girl

SALEM, Mass. — A former Salem man has been charged with repeatedly sexually abusing a girl over a three-year period starting when she was just 6 years old.

Jonathan Hare, 29, who was living in Buckfield, Maine, just before his arrest, pleaded not guilty to two counts of aggravated child rape and another seven counts of indecent assault and battery on a child during his arraignment Wednesday in Salem Superior Court.

The incidents came to light just after Christmas, when the girl’s grandmother told investigators from the Department of Children and Families that the girl had disclosed that she was being abused by the man.

The abuse began when the man moved in with the girl and her mother, prosecutor John Brennan said during yesterday’s hearing.

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The girl told investigators that Hare would sneak into her room at night and touch her, including between her legs. He also engaged in other acts, the prosecutor said, which led to one of the rape counts.

According to court papers, the girl’s mother had also recently learned of the abuse.

The incidents took place in several North Shore communities where the girl and her mother lived, including Salem, Marblehead, Gloucester and Beverly, the prosecutor said.

The girl said Hare told her that if she told anyone, he would kill her. But some of the incidents were apparently witnessed by one of her brothers, who corroborated her account, according to court papers.

Hare had been held on $10,000 bail after his arrest, but Judge John Lu increased that to $15,000 bail, an amount his family is not expected to post. If they do, he’s facing a string of conditions, including an order barring contact with the victim or her family, and no unsupervised contact with children under 16.